Step into the Portal and Elevate Your Career

"Instead of thinking about networking as a way to get something out of someone, you can think about it as a way of being a PORTAL," a client told me this week. 

I love that so much, I'm stealing it. 😉

A portal is an open door to possibilities for both sides. A portal is expansive and mysterious, requiring trust in the unknown. 

Which, in my experience, is exactly what great networking is. 

Ten years ago, I went to an acupuncturist in the Upper West Side of Manhattan to heal my stiff shoulders and general anxiety. 

When the acupuncturist asked me why I was so stressed, I shared, "I'm in a dead end job right now after working in finance, and I'm looking to join a startup here in New York." 

To which she surprised me with, "Oh really? My husband is the CFO at a tech startup, and he's looking to hire someone with finance background. You should talk to him." 

I ended up getting hired by my acupuncturist's husband, who a year later approved my request for a 25% raise and promotion to Operations Director. 

That one conversation with my acupuncturist in her UWS studio -- it was the opposite of schmoozing, and it was my delightfully unexpected portal into a career pivot. 

These portals are everywhere, when you look with fresh eyes. 

In fact, you can create your own portal today.  

Here's one way: 

• Reach out to someone you already know and trust. Maybe a colleague in a different department, or someone you worked with in the past, and simply check in. Send them a quick text or email saying, "Hey, how's it going? What's the latest and greatest?" If it works for you, ask them for some suggestions on how you might navigate a challenge you're facing right now, while keeping in mind that you don't have to take action on anything that doesn't resonate with you.

More on the Negotiate Your Career Growth Podcast: 

• Let's say you build this beautiful portal and you make valuable connections and now you want to make specific and actionable requests to advance your career goals. Consider your request HELPS the other side, too. Click HERE to learn why. 

• How do you negotiate a job offer by email, if you've never negotiated for yourself before, and you don't want to come across as difficult or aggressive? Click HERE to check out my suggested prompts and scripts on How to Negotiate Salary by Email.

• Founder of 81cents Jordan Sale and I discussed the ins and outs of both salary negotiations and severance negotiations. Click HERE to listen.